Cory Fin Touble

[Betta_Shark5678]

My sister has a cory, and a betta in a 3.5 gallon tank (I told her to go with just the betta, but she decided to listen to the petstore employee instead of me!) and she thinks the betta has been nipping the cory's fins. Is this normal? She says that he hasn't been eating as far as she's seen (she only has floating pellets for both of them), and that he now has such small fins that he can barely swim! Is it possible that this is fin rot, or is the betta killing the catfish? She's really worried, and it'll be at least a month and a half before I get my new tank, and get it set up, but if he lives I've offered to add him to my tank with more cories, but if it's fin rot obviously I don't want to add him to my tank!! I haven't looked at him recently, but I will get pictures tomorrow morning if that will help. She hasn't actually seen the betta nipping the cory's fina.

 

[ZephyrStarPlaties]

Some bettas will attack any tankmates you put with them, some are docile. I'd return the cory. Not only could it be an aggression issue, cories need large groups and that tank hardly even fits the betta.

 

[FishFanatic04]

Cories are schooling fish and I don't know of any species that can live in less than 10 gallons. The ones that live in 10g tanks are dwarf varieties at that.

Fin damage can turn into fin rot overnight. Chances are if the betta is attacking the cory, it won't have a chance to heal. It needs a calm space and very frequent water changes. Cories should be in groups of 6+ regardless.

I have my Bettas in 3.5 gallon tanks, and they are perfectly fine, but I do 2 water changes a week and keep a very close eye on them. Bettas are susceptible to fin rot, and the smaller water volume can lead to that.

 

[Betta_Shark5678]

Currently there's nothing we can do about it. She probably won't accept the answer of returning the cory (now she's attached, yay...), but thank you for your answers. I will let her know what her options are. One of it's pectoral fins is completely gone, so I don't even know if we could return it . I made her do research on corys, so now she knows that they are schooling fish, yet she still claims hers is fine with just the betta. She took some bad advice from a friend who works at the nearby petsmart and now she's paying for it, but the cory doesn't deserve this.

 

[Harlequins]

It CRUEL to leave the cory in such a small tank,my fry tank is bigger than that!! plus with the possibility of the betta attacking may probably end up with the cory dying through stress and will more than likely get infections in its now depleted fins.

I wish peeps would do more research before adding fish,this should be done before any purchase of fish,and not taking it has gospel from shops,who most of the time know nowt!!

But now its up to your sister to do something about it rather than letting the poor cory suffer anymore!!

 

[Betta_Shark5678]

Well the cory was moved to a temporary tank after LOSING AN EYE. He was thought to be dead, but he starting swimming again. Unfortunately the best we could put him in right now is an unheated, unfiltered, 1/2 gallon tank, that doesn't have a thermometer... I told her that he will be blind the rest of his life. Turns out that he isn't missing a whole pectoral fin!! Just half. She knows her options, but hasn't decided on anything yet. We're going to try to heal him, but when I put him into the hospital tank he starting sinking, and drifting around, not swimming or anything, I've only seen dying fish do that before.

 

[Betta_Shark5678]

Thanks for everybody's answers, unfortunately Salty the peppered cory cat died today.

 

[DJH584]

little one.

 

[ZephyrStarPlaties]

Thanks for everybody's answers, unfortunately Salty the peppered cory cat died today.

R.I.P, Salty.